The former US vice-president Dick Cheney, who died at the age of 84, was regarded as arguably the most significant incumbents of the vice-presidency in the nation's history. Whereas numerous vice-presidents had to settle for minor or figurehead roles, Cheney held substantial influence during the presidency of George W Bush, to the point that he was commonly called as the "true president".
Bush objected to this portrayal and claimed the dynamic was more nuanced. He observed that Cheney was courteous, always calling him in public as Mr President, while he called him as Dick. Bush disputed even portrayals of their partnership as a partnership because it implied that they were peers. In spite of these objections, Cheney found the easygoing president accommodating on a broad range of policy decisions.
A Aftermath of 9/11
Leading of a group of conservative hawks that featured defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he vigorously promoted the invasion of Iraq in 2003 in answer to the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington. When of the 9/11 attack, Bush had been attending a gathering at a elementary school in Florida. Whereas Bush made his way to a secure location in Nebraska, Cheney took command, ordering the destruction of any non-communicating planes nearing the US Capitol.
Cheney stated the attacks changed him, leading him to become intent on revenge. Together with other conservative figures, including Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he lobbied for a takeover of Afghanistan in an effort to seize Osama bin Laden. Cheney then strongly advocated for the armed intervention of Iraq, although there was little proof of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Disputed Decisions
He voiced no apologies about the armed intervention, in which an approximated 100,000 Iraqis perished, nor about the enhanced interrogation of suspects apprehended after 9/11. He informed CNN in 2015 that the Iraq military action, which was predicated on faulty intelligence echoed by Cheney, was the correct decision. "It was the right thing to do at that time. I believed it back then and I maintain that stance presently."
However even at the time, there were opposing views at a top tier about the botched execution of Iraq. One of the White House's own representatives to the region, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not reappointed from the position. "I witnessed, at a minimum," he wrote later "obvious failure, inaction, and unaccountability: in the worst case, deception, ineptitude, and graft."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not entirely accountable for the Iraq invasion. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had advocated for such action. He had drafted a document outlining situations in which American interests might be threatened (featuring "access to vital raw materials, mostly Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the United States should be prepared to operate alone when collective action cannot be orchestrated," specifically referencing military moves against Iraq.
Bush additionally had assumed the presidency vaguely intent on implementing what his predecessor had famously refused to do in 1991; overthrow Saddam. Subsequent to he had been dismissed by the White House, the Treasury head Paul O'Neill revealed how, at the opening session of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had announced his plan of reducing America's participation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and proposed military action against Iraq.
Bush carried a private grievance against Saddam, thinking he had been behind a plot to assassinate his father, President George HW Bush, on a visit to Kuwait in 1993. He additionally objected to that one of the biggest establishments in Baghdad had a surface artwork with a portrait of his parent's countenance that everyone had to step on.
Questioning Techniques
However it was Cheney who was part of the most vehement supporting attacking Iraq, repeatedly quoting agency briefings that were both insubstantial or entirely misleading. He backed what the Bush White House politely called as "enhanced interrogation", the application of simulated drowning and physical pressure.
Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that found that no valuable data had come from the harsh techniques, Cheney dismissed the conclusions as "riddled with crap". He informed Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to take steps and put in place procedures to capture the bastards who murdered 3,000 of us on 9/11 and make sure it would not recur. That's exactly what they did and they earn a lot of praise."
External Perception
Cheney enjoyed nicknames given to him by critics such as the Star Wars villain and the sinister presence, and by the idea that he was a sinister influence controlling Bush. In the author's 2013 volume about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is reported as stating: "Is it me who is the evil genius in the shadows that remains unseen leave his domain? That is a advantageous way to function, actually."
Corporate Connections
Dispute over his commercial relationships followed him through his period as VP. Although he had limited background in business but good contacts in security, notably in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's most substantial oil and gas corporations, in 1995 as chair and CEO.
In 2000 he assumed the role of Bush's VP candidate for the presidency. Controversially, during the Iraq war, Halliburton was given US agreements valued at billions.
It made him rich. His yearly compensation during his tenure at the corporation rose from his previous salary during his time as defence secretary to over four million. When he resigned in 2000 he had a compensation package totaling over $20m|twenty
